Also note that many cities have options for which "directions" you seek - automobile, walking, transit or bicycle. When you select "bicycle" the map will add a layer of green to indicate routes that have been designated as "bicycle friendly". This is merely a starting point, though, because I've found that some of the streets highlighted in green are not ones I would choose to ride on.

Another mapping utility is "mapmyride" www.mapmyride.com which also has an iPhone/Droid app that can do a GPS-based mapping function.

This made me laugh. All the people who hate me are trapped in their cars/trucks, and I'll always be able to slip away :p

Ride serpentine!

My biggest concern would be someone caseing BF to mug someone for their high priced bike. Not much of a concern given my commute along some well traveled, exposed streets.

http://app.strava.com/activities/40096444

I've always held that the USA had a paranoid, hysterical society, and this reinforces the belief.

Why would someone bother casing BF (assuming bike thieves think that far ahead) when they could go to any recreational trail and wait? Actually, why risk a prison sentence for assault and robbery, maybe with a deadly weapon, when they could simply and at low risk steal a locked bicycle thereby not drawing much police attention, and even if somehow caught face the much more minor charge of simple theft.

Bike thieves aren't necessarily smart, but they are practical, which is why they steal bikes instead of mugging people for their wallets.